The Burning House
by rangerboy
Summary: The Camdens are in a hard time in their family. Little tradgedies and problems are terring the family apart. Only when a big tradgedy stricks are they drawn together.
1. All Was Silent

The Camden house was silent, and not much was happening. Everything was unusually calm, but it was an eerie calm, for everything was about to turn upside down. Everything was calm before the storm-you know the phrase.

Martin and Cecilia sat in the living room talking about life, and love and god, and what ever popped in mind. Ruthie sat their listening enjoying the conversation, and Petie, her boyfriend, was getting annoyed by it all.

In the kitchen sat Mary trying to comfort her husband, Carlos, he had lost his self-confidence and desire to continue living when he lost his job. Mary's baby was due in just a month and they needed money badly. They had to figure something out.

Lucy and Kevin were in the garage apartment, just waking up Lucy was cooking their meal and Kevin was about to walk to the table ready to eat. Lucy was thinking about how she was going to tell Kevin and the rest of her family that she was pregnant.

Matt lay in his room crying because his wife would not speak to him.

Sam and David lay in bed they hadn't been woken.

Eric was at a counseling session at the church.

Everything was normal except for Annie. She was in her room packing her bags. When she was finished she left out the back door when nobody was looking leaving a note on the table.


	2. The Morning She Left

Mary sat with her husband, Carlos, waiting for her mother to come out and start to cook breakfast or at least to ask her to come and do so. Her patience was always self evident in a time like this. Carlos was not in his top mood either; his job lost was like the loss of his manlihood.

Mary decided that since so much time had passed and her mother had not come down to cook breakfast she would surprise her mother and make breakfast for her after all her parents were very generous to let her live there until they could get back on their footing.

"Mom don't worry about breakfast, I am cooking it," Mary called out as she caught a glance at a note on the table.

Mary walked up and read it. It was a note from her mother, and she thought as she opened the letter, "Oh, mom has probably gone out to buy groceries she will be happy to see breakfast done when she gets home.

But when she opened the letter it was not what she was expecting, "… I need some time to myself….I can't handle all this … Eric if you don't leave your job I will divorce you…. I am sorry my children this isn't your fault, I love you all life is just too much for me right now!"

"What?" Mary questioned reading the letter thrice to make sure that she hadn't miss-understood it, "This isn't my mom. She would never do this."

"Hey, honey," said Carlos as he walked in the kitchen and Mary quickly hid the letter in her pocket deciding to wait until a good moment to reveal its contents to the rest of her family. Would they be able to handle this she wondered and thought she had better show it to her dad first and have him take care of the matter.

Peter lay on the sofa watching the early morning new as he always did when he was waiting for a ride to school. He noticed that Ruthie was not in the least bit happy.

"Hay Ruthie," he asked, "What's wrong with you? You don't look like your usual self today."

Ruthie searched through her soul to tell Peter what was troubling her but it hurt too much. She hadn't even been able to tell her mother. She would tell her mom when she arrived home from school her mother would know what to do.

Ruthie said, "Oh Pete, nothing."

"Come on, Ruthie, I know you are not alright," he replied, "I can see it in your face you are being troubled by something deeply."

"I'm fine." She insisted.

Peter got up and walked out of the room he couldn't understand why Ruthie as he saw it didn't trust him. He had told her all of his troubling problems and somehow it always made them better but Ruthie wouldn't tell him anything and he was so afraid that she didn't trust him, and it made him very sad. Ruthie on the other hand was in terrible pain that she wanted to tell someone about but could not. She prayed every night that one day she could.

Kevin on his way to the police station stopped in the Camden house because he had seen that there was a job opening, he hoped that if he were to tell his brother-in-law about it, then he would have something to lift himself up.

"Hey Carlos, you know there is an opening at the police station and the chief told me that you would be a first pick if you want to apply." Kevin said.

Carlos looked up and showed a little glimpse of hope in his eye and asked, "Oh really?"

"Yeah, you should come and apply today. Well I have to go now hope all is well in the house. See you all tonight." Kevin said as he turned around to leave the house the exact way he had come in.

"Thanks," said Carlos, "I will check out that job."

Matt went to see his mother, Annie, he knocked on the door and it flew open because it wasn't shut tight. He looked in and his mother wasn't there. As he turned around to walk out he also noticed the twins were awake. He went in and woke them up so that they could go to school.

As they ran down to watch T.V., they both kicked Matt in the shin really hard each. Matt could not for the life of him figure out why it was that the twins disliked his so much.

As the twins ran down the stairway the doorbell rang and Ruthie noticed she was late for school. She ran to the twins and hurried them up the stairway and as she passed Matt, who was on his way to answer the door, she asked, "Will you take us to school it is so late and we will get into trouble school started fifteen minuets ago."

While Ruthie was dressing the children Matt opened the door and saw Simon he invited him in and he sat on the sofa and immediately fell asleep. Matt was not expecting him to come home for the Christmas Break but it was nice to see him anyways.

Matt got Cecilia, Martin and Pete in the car. Ruthie followed out shortly and squeezed herself and the twins into Matt's car. There wasn't much room but all was well.

Eric sat in his office as the police chief walked in. Eric looked up and asked, "Hello? Do you need something?"

"Yes, Eric." He answered, "I need to ask a favor of you."

"As away," Eric concluded laying his pen that he was writing his sermon with down on the desk.

"There was a boy, he was taken from his parents for abuse by child protection services, and there is nobody home for the Christmas Break to foster the child and we were wondering if you and Annie could take him in for the break."

"Well let me call Annie." Eric replied, and he then called his house and got no reply, "Well I guess we can for tonight and I will discuss it with Annie tonight and tell you for sure tomorrow."

"Thank you so much," said the officer as he let in a skinny 14 year old boy in, "His name is Jose."

As the officer turned around and walked out, Eric said, "How are you Jose?"

Jose just stared at him and said, "Shut up."

"Okay" said Eric as he returned to his sermon.

Annie had never felt so alone in her life, but she couldn't return to her old life it was too hard. As she walked into her new apartment she prayed to god, "Lord, please help me know what I should do."


	3. Splinters

Ruthie sat in class thinking about her argument that she had with Peter earlier that morning, "Maybe I shall apologize to him," she pondered, "I would tell him about my problems if only I could."

Ruthie began to go back to her memories of that offal event. She tried her best to block it from her memory. She knew if she were to reveal it, then she could hurt herself.

Peter sat paying attention to the Math lesson before him. Ruthie had snapped at him. He had only asked her what was wrong, because he had a deep concern for her. He began to grow angry with her. Every time something really hurt him, he had told her. "Does Ruthie not trust me anymore" he pondered from complete confusion.

The both of their minds wondered and they didn't catch the rest of the lesson.

Carlos was beginning to get a little of his dignity back as he walked to the police station to turn in his application to work there. He hoped that Kevin had told him about the opening because they would really look into him.

Mary meanwhile was having a conversation with Annie. She had called her.

"Hello," Annie said with her cell phone.

"Mom, please come home," she said.

"I am sorry, but I can't." Annie replied, and hung up throwing the telephone across the room breaking it.

Mary called Eric and told him what had happened. After his phone call from her Marry he looked up and said, "Jose, it's time for lunch. Let's go grab some and then I will take you to school."

Jose was glad to have missed half a day of school, because he totally loathed that place and no matter how hard people tried they could never get him to stay there. Eric ordered them Big Macs and then stopped at the school.

"I'll be here at 4:00 to get you, okay?" Eric explained.

"Sure, whatever," Jose retorted getting out of the car and then he walked towards the school.

Eric decided that his first impression with the boy hadn't gone very well. He decided to find another approach with him. On his way back to the church Eric noticed that he had left his cell phone at his home so he went to pick it up. When he arrived he saw Simon and Matt sitting in the living room. Matt called out, "Simon wants to talk to you."

Eric responded, "I will be home at 4:00 sorry I have to run."

Matt and Simon sat in the living room, they were both talking about how their lives were going, and neither of them were happy.

Simon asked Matt to take him to the church to his dad to talk.

Eric was in the middle of his resignation letter that he was writing to the church as Simon walked in.

"Dad, I really need to talk," he said.

"Yes, what is it?" Eric asked surprised.

"Father, I thought if I left I would be happy, but I wasn't." Simon admitted, "And now that I am home I am not happy either. What must I do to be able to live with myself?"

Eric decided what Simon needed now was the council of a pastor and he said, "Simon, you need to know the one who died for you to truly be happy."

Simon broke down in tears and said, "Father, how do I do that."

And Eric prayed with his son, and helped him to start down the road of true happiness for the first time in his life.


End file.
